Vietnam Army veteran and Wailua resident Willie Stark will commemorate the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack in his own special way – with a photo album taken of Kauai’s reaction to the tragedy. The album contains nearly 170
Vietnam Army veteran and Wailua resident Willie Stark will commemorate the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack in his own special way – with a photo album taken of Kauai’s reaction to the tragedy.
The album contains nearly 170 photographs Stark took of Kauaians and their reaction within the first week of the attack.
The patriotism Stark said he saw made him swell with pride. “As far removed as we are from the continental U.S.A., there are patriotic people in Hawai’i,”Stark said.
There were photos of banners with patriotic messages, flags flying at half mast. Business people and property owners displayed flags. There were messages of patriotism written on sheets and posters made by school students that were attached to fences, Stark said.
Stark looks at the photo album as often as he can because “it (the attack in which 2,801 people were killed or are still missing) is something that will you will always remember.”
“It is the only the second time that we have been attacked, since Pearl Harbor,” Stark said.
Stark said he was “laying low” on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attack to show his respect to the victims.
And beside him will be his photo album, Stark said.
“It will be available to anyone who wants to see how the people of Kaua’i reacted,” he said.
